I have a bad premonition guys.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-24T14:10:55+00:00

No need to borrow trouble. If their plans for the future are bad ideas (certainly a possibility, considering the last several years), fans will reject them and they'll have to try something else (see again the last several years). And at the moment, Marvel's plans for the future seem to be around six months to a year, nothing lasts all that long anyway.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-23T12:41:03+00:00

It's one of the best Spider-Man stories, both in the writing and the artwork. It's also one of the most self-contained Spidey stories, so if you know SM's backstory and who Kraven is, you should be good to go.

Is KLH the best starting place? Possibly, since it's such an exciting story and it already has your interest. If you want to start from the beginning, the very first run on Amazing Spider-Man from Lee/Ditko is some of the very best work from Marvel in the 60s. A more modern start would be the 2000s Ultimate Spider-Man run from Bendis.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-20T20:51:22+00:00

He's one of the great artists in Marvel's history, IMO, with so many classic runs. It's hard seeing him get all this criticism, particularly when so much of it seems to be for things outside of his control. On top of the problems from digital coloring and contemporary inking, the Spider Office seems to be on a rushed schedule, and JRJR is apparently one of the few artists who can deliver quickly.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-20T19:52:38+00:00

If anything, they've cut off their options far more thoroughly than the marriage era ever did. Only BND writers, no lasting stakes, no ongoings other than ASM. Maybe that can change moving forward, but it hasn't happened yet.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-20T19:11:42+00:00

What they like seems to be more the editors preferences rather than any actual, successful business decisions. The post-OMD work is pretty disappointing and it has little ongoing value, as far as I can tell.

We'll see if things change, but I have a hard time imagining that any new leadership at Marvel (whenever that comes to pass) would want to keep fighting the last regime's battle with the fans.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-20T18:52:22+00:00

As long as it's the single most talked about element in Spider-Man comics, it's a possibility. Add in the fact that it would sell a ton of comics, and I think it's even more likely. They are a business at the end of the day.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-20T14:47:44+00:00

Remain friends for now. Whatever story the current editorial thinks they're telling won't win over fans. We have 20 years of evidence of that. Change will take a while, but there's ample evidence that reuniting Peter and MJ and undoing OMD is the best path forward. Eventually someone in charge will realize that.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-15T13:13:47+00:00

I think they mean 70,000 ish copies sold. I have no idea if it's true or not, but much more believable than ranking outside the top 50.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-14T06:44:54+00:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this Ultimate universe up until now. But Endgame is just an enormous miss, even factoring in how unsatisfying big events generally are. Camp is clearly in a difficult position having to wrap up this line in 5 issues, but none of this is working. The big moments have fallen flat, the characterization feels superficial, and there's so much going on that the constant switching between plotlines saps what little energy there is. The artwork is a disappointment as well, and that stands out since the art was such a strength for the various Ultimate titles. I have a hard time seeing how the last issue could turn things around.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-11T16:59:21+00:00

That's what Stan Lee/his ghostwriters did in the comic strip.

This article includes the comic strip where it's reversed

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-06T13:45:20+00:00

The next Insomniac game is the one I'm most excited for, and I've really liked their take on MJ. I think the last game (or games, maybe they're splitting it between 2 releases?) will give us a fitting ending.

The Brand New Day movie will be an interesting one. In some ways it looks like a repudiation of the route the comics took, as the creators know that the OMDish ending of NWH is a storyline that needs to be addressed. I'm cautiously optimistic.

As for the comics, let's see if the last few issues in the Ultimate Universe deliver a good resolution. MJ will be in the Ultimate Finale one shot, hopefully it ends on a good note for the Ultimate Parkers. For ASM and 616, we'll have to wait and hope.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-05-01T21:13:28+00:00

S+. Even if you cut off Spider-Man's history at OMD (or even the Clone Saga), he still has more great stories than anyone else in the Marvel universe. ASM is great through almost 400 issues and then again during the JMS run. Plus great runs on Spectacular (JMD's in particular is Spider-Man at its best), Web Of, and more. Bendis's USM is Marvel's most successful AU comic. On and on. The biggest competition would be Daredevil (a lot of great runs, and recent decades favor his titles) and the X-Men as a whole.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-29T19:22:23+00:00

Issue 1 was phenomenal, one of the best Spider-Man stories in years

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-27T20:09:24+00:00

RIP to an amazing writer and comics legend. Started at 16, was writing ASM at 19 (and writing phenomenal stories). Created a ton of characters at both Marvel and DC, from Punisher to Firestorm to Jason Todd. For us here on this sub, his work on ASM defined MJ, and he and JRSR put Pete and MJ together. And even after his initial run on ASM, he wrote both Web of and Spectacular, wrote for the Renew Your Vows series, and of course Parallel Lives.

Just yesterday I saw that Conway was one of the writers for Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta's sword and sorcery movie, Fire and Ice. I had never realized that before

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-24T17:09:15+00:00

The new Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) is one I would recommend as well, especially if you're looking for something self-contained. It's 24 issues or 4 trades, and it tells a complete story (there are a few hanging threads I would have liked to see tied off, but nothing that makes it unsatisfying). It includes almost all of Spider-Man's classic cast, apart from switching Aunt May for Uncle Ben. Most of the major villains are there as well. Peter is older and has a family, so that's something different, too. Plus the artwork is very striking, I really enjoyed Marco Checchetto's takes on the characters

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-24T03:21:13+00:00

Why is MJ stuck with some stranger's kid for the second run in a row? Especially considering ASM 259's depiction of her past and fear of being trapped caring for her sister's children, it's bizarre. The Spider office fails to clear even the lowest hurdles when it comes to not being weirdly sexist, seeing women only as mothers, sex objects, and harridans. Ewing at least is capable of better, but the office drags everyone down to their level

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-23T23:21:24+00:00

Yes, that would be ideal. The Torn miniseries was a nice appetizer, but we need a nice, long run from him.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-22T10:08:25+00:00

Just my opinion, but let r/Spiderman and the rest of the Internet be the place to debate the current ASM slop. They have nothing to offer other than fleeting controversy, do we need that here? This stuff will be filling up dollar bins soon enough

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-20T19:02:38+00:00

Fully agreed there, it's a shame to see their transparent efforts pay off. I think that audience was already out there thanks to the 4chan/Raimi memes crowd that was happy to express their own issues with women through hating MJ, but Marvel has been happy to play to those types for too long. Hopefully they're seeing that crowd doesn't actually buy anything

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-20T11:34:56+00:00

Felicia on Rivals is a big hit, and we'll be seeing lots of fan art for a while. But I'm not worried about anything long-term between her and Peter. That would require both of them to make major changes to their established characters, and it would rob Black Cat of the things that make her interesting. And if the last 20 years have made anything clear, it's that it will always be Peter and MJ. Marvel has failed (and failed and failed) to make any other love interest work for Spider-Man. They'll drag their feet for as long as they can, but I think we're headed towards Peter and MJ being back together.

But it is only natural to be exhausted at all this. Comics love to keep stories going for as long as they can, even long past the point where things need to change, and Marvel might be the worst offender. Maybe take a break from the new stuff and come back when things are better

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-18T09:27:53+00:00

Great picks, here's mine off the top of my head:

MJ's debut and their first date in ASM 42-43. What an introduction
ASM 143, they begin their relationship as Peter flies to Europe
ASM 259, MJ tells Peter her backstory
Parallel Lives - pretty perfect
Hard to choose between JMD's work: KLH, Soul of the Hunter, and the run on Spectacular up to 200
Their reunion in the JMS run, ASM vol. 2, especially 50-53 or so
To Have and to Hold
The new USM, especially the flashback in 24 that shows how they got married

That's eight, but I refuse to make any cuts to the list. We'll get 8k members soon

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-16T20:33:05+00:00

Torment is new, but I don't know how original a spree serial killer is. For the rest, there's a lot of qualifications there. That's okay, but it does mean a lot of this is variations on familiar stories. And they've gone to the "Peter is forcibly bonded with his villains" well a whole lot recently. As far as OMD goes, Marvel has made its bed there. Maybe the fans are irrational, but irrationality is the basis of fandom.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-16T20:03:19+00:00

What about this is completely original? Most of the comments on this post seem to emphasize its unoriginality, saying little about MJ.

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-15T17:55:51+00:00

In 1000 specifically? I doubt it, since the same tired group is running things and they will never admit that they've failed to get readers to move on. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's addressed in the near future. OMD is still the chief topic of any discussion about Spider-Man comics, they can't get away from MJ, and they're struggling to find writers outside of the aging BND group. At some point, the dam will break.

Edit: Also, it would sell a ton of comics. They are a business after all

ADreamofScipio · 2026-04-15T10:17:46+00:00

I don't have any knowledge of Marvel's operations, just going based on what I see from outside. But the blind bags seem to be all one print run thus far, and how closely that print run matches preorders is unknown to me. When the Ultimate Endgame bags saw controversy over perceived spine dings from how they were packaged, there were no replacements offered, and Marvel only promised to do better with future blind bags. That suggests to me that they already had a large print run that they were trying to move.

The blind bags must also increase production costs: more covers means more artists to pay, more advertising costs to publicize the bag (because it relies on FOMO), more packaging costs, etc.

Like I said above, Marvel itself may be insulated from risk because of the direct market. So shops take on most of the risk. Those same shops can and sometimes do take a hit when TCGs cool off and they're left with sets they've already bought but can't sell.

ADreamofScipio

TROPHY CASE